Black Blood Brothers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Black Blood Brothers | |
|---|---|
 (From Left to Right) Back: Cassa and Eve; Front: Kotaro, Jiro, and Mimiko |
|
| ブラック・ブラッド・ブラザーズ (Burakku Buraddo Burazāzu) |
|
| Genre | Fantasy; Comedic supernatural fiction |
| Light novel | |
| Author | Kouhei Azano |
| Illustrator | Yuuya Kusaka |
| Publisher |  Fujimi Shobou Daewon C&I |
| Demographic | Male |
| Published | July 16, 2004 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 13 |
| TV anime | |
| Director | Hiroaki Yoshikawa |
| Studio | Group TAC, Studio Live |
| Network | KIDS STATION, Tokyo MX TV |
| Original run | September 8, 2006 – November 24, 2006 |
| Episodes | 12 |
Black Blood Brothers (ブラック・ブラッド・ブラザーズ Burakku Buraddo Burazāzu?) is a light novel series written by Kōhei Azano and illustrated by Yuuya Kusaka. In 2006, Studio Live and Group TAC produced an anime based on the series. It is directed by Hiroaki Yoshikawa. It has been licensed for North American release by FUNimation, with the earliest DVD release planned in early 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
During a fictional war called the Hong Kong Crusade, an Old Blood vampire, Jiro Mochizuki, a.k.a. the Silver Blade (銀刀 Gintō?), fought and defeated most of the Kowloon Children. Ten years later, Jiro heads to Japan with his little brother, Kotaro, in hopes of reaching The Special Zone, a thriving secret city where vampires live. They soon realize that a plan to infiltrate The Special Zone is being hatched by the Kowloon Children survivors. As they travel to The Special Zone, Jiro encounters enemies from the past and new threats that may endanger the safety of the Special Zone. The abduction of Kotaro, by one of the Kowloon Children, thrusts him even further into the battle.
[edit] Kowloon Shock
Within the story, in the year 1997, a vampire who would later be known as the Kowloon King emerged in Hong Kong and began spreading his lineage to others. The Kowloon Children, as his bloodline came to be known, differed from other bloodlines in that all humans bitten by a Kowloon Child would become Kowloon Children themselves, even without a direct infusion of that bloodline's blood. Any existing vampire also bitten by a Kowloon Child would become one of the Kowloon Children. The ensuing chaos made the existence of vampires, which until then had been living in secret, known to the entire world. The conflict culminated in the Hong Kong Crusade, a final battle in which humans and vampires worked together to exterminate the Kowloon Children. After the crusade, the Special Zone - a city for vampires to live - was established on the sea outside of Yokohama, Japan. After the war, it was announced that all vampires had been killed, and most humans were kept ignorant of the existence of the Special Zone. Jiro Mochizuki, who became known as the Silver Blade, is a hero of the Crusade who defeated the Kowloon King, although he lost his lover and was betrayed by a close friend in the process.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main characters
- Jiro Mochizuki (望月 ジロー Mochizuki Jirō?) Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)
- An old blood vampire that sided with the humans to fight against the Kowloon children during the Kowloon Shock. Jiro was transformed into a vampire in 19th Century London. He used to be a lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Navy until he was severely injured in a fight protecting Alice. Besides being an Old Blood, he also comes from a very special bloodline: the blood of the Sage. He wields a long katana which has a blade made of silver. During the war, after defeating most of the Kowloon children, he became known as the Silver Blade and the Kinslayer.
- He is weak against sunlight and water. He is shown being burned to the bones from staying into the ocean too long and releasing smoke under the sunlight, even though he was carrying an umbrella. He has a little brother, Kotaro, who is the only other vampire who shares his bloodline. He is considered to be the chosen Guardian. As the chosen guardian, he is devoted to returning the sage's blood, which resides within him, into her reborn body, Kotaro. He reveals to Mimiko that once Kotaro fully matures and he gives back the sage's blood, he will no longer be around. He does not make it clear whether he will die (an unlikely occurrence, given both Alice and Kotaro's love for him), or whether he will simply leave; either way, Mimiko promises to avoid this fate.
- Kotaro Mochizuki (望月 コタロウ Mochizuki Kotarō?) Voiced by: Omi Minami (Japanese), Leah Clark (English)
- Younger brother of Jiro Mochizuki, he does not seem to exhibit powers of a vampire, such as the "Hide Hand." Although, he seems to have an extremely high pain tolerance: as he is thrown into the ground and walls without injury in almost every episode. As commented by Mimiko Katsuragi, he does not appear to be the brother of Jiro since he is not hurt by sunlight nor water, unlike Jiro. Another fact is that they look totally different from each other: Jiro is tall, has black hair and brown eyes, while his brother is short, has blond hair, and blue eyes. Kotaro stated that they are brothers because they are the last two remaining vampires of their special bloodline. They both carry goggles around their necks. He has the same speech pattern and bears a striking resemblance to Jiro's former lover, Alice. Later, it is revealed that Kotaro Mochizuki is actually the reincarnation of Alice. He has no special vampiric powers because he still has not recovered the sage's memories from his big brother.
- Mimiko Katsuragi (葛城 ミミコ Katsuragi Mimiko?) Voiced by: Ryoko Nagata (Japanese), Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)
- Human compromiser who is sent out to mediate the relationship between humans and vampires. She was an orphan that was raised by the Order Coffin Company, which she now works in. Although considered taboo by the Company, she allowed Jiro to suck a bit of her blood when he was feeling weak. She hasn't admitted it, but she clearly shows signs of having feelings for Jiro. In the end, she ends up living and working with both Kotaro and Jiro. Mimiko and Alice have similar ideals.
- Cassandra Jill Warlock (カサンドラ・ジル・ウォーロック Kasandora Jiru Vōrokku?) Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)
- A vampire that was once friends with Jiro and Alice, however she betrayed them and killed Alice. She used a chained cross to fight Jiro during one of the battles in the Kowloon Shock. It is later revealed that she is the Lord of the Warlock family and is a reincarnation of Morgan the Witch. She was also the first to be bitten by the founder of the Kowloon Children bloodline and was branded a traitor. During a brief conversation with Jiro, she claims that her happiest moments were with Alice and Jiro.
[edit] Minor characters
- Sei Voiced by: Reiko Takagi (Japanese), Ian Sinclair (English)
- Sei bears the title of Dragon King of the East, or "Ryuuou", and is often called "Ryuu-dono" as an honorific. He also bears the titles: prosecutor of the east and young emissary. He controls the night of Hong Kong and the Special Zone, protecting Red Blood and Black Blood. He's a direct descendant of a chaotic bloodline. Sei also created the barrier and implemented the restrictions that protects the Special Zone. His eyes are the "switch" for opening and closing the barrier. When he opens his eyes, the barrier opens, and vice-versa. He could turn into an enormous golden dragon made of pure energy. Before the start of the story, Sei's appearance looked that of a person in his low twenties. Sometime in the past 10 years, he was reborn as a young child. Even though he was reborn into such a cute state (as Jiro puts it), Sei is serious and is one of the most powerful vampires in the story, which makes him highly respected. He could easily make a vampire uneasy with his powerful aura. He also has an older sister called the Dark Princess of the North.
- Zelman Clock (ゼルマン・クロック Zeruman Kurokku?) Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Jerry Jewell (English)
- An 800 year old Old Blood born in Poland on April 1 called Red-eye Zelman, and is the bearer of the god's flame and a legend of the Dark Ages. Zelman has many other titles including the ancient dark hunter, the follower of the Fire God, the red-eyed murderer, and the prince with blood-colored eyes. He is also one of the rulers of the Special Zone. He comes from a glorious bloodline linking to the great warrior, Asura.
- Having inherited the special blood of War God Asura (闘将アスラ?), Zelman has a power called Eye Ignite, which enables him to create and control fire. Nevertheless, the one enemy that Zelman cannot defeat is Sei, the king of the East.
- Zelman Clock has a slightly wild sense of charisma, but his real self is someone with no morality and is a complete sociopath. Even so, despite his hatred and strong emotions, he is someone who values, above all, freedom and lives only according to his existence as a vampire. He taught Kotaro that a vampire's fate centers around blood and blood only. Also, before his confrontation with Jiro, despite his sense of anticipation of the confrontation, Zelman was able to hide it and keep it under control.
- He is a leader of the non-officially-sanctioned group called Kabun. Because he had to prove his bloodline, and had to go through a fight, he was the only one that was left; which is also due to his lifespan of 800 years.
- Cain Warlock Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese), Christopher Sabat (English)
- An Old Blood who works alongside the Company within the Special Zone. Cain is a very strong vampire who has the ability to change into a blue wolf. He is known as a hero of the Kowloon Shock, Retainer of the Warlock family, the Knight of King Azami, and Cain the Blue Wolf. He is of the same bloodline as Cassandra and had served the Warlock family before her betrayal. He was also one of Alice's guardians before she died at the hands of Cassandra. He is now a loyal servant to Sei.
- Kelly Wong Voiced by: Mami Kosuge (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)
- A vampire that tries to enter the Special Zone. She and a group of vampires tried to enter the Special Zone in hope of a better life. However, she is the only one in the group to successfully enter the Special Zone in the end, though deeply traumatized by the loss of all her friends and her surrogate daughter.
- Chan Voiced by: Ayumi Tsuji (Japanese), Cherami Leigh (English)
- A vampire girl that was born from the blood of Kelly Wong. Chan's mother begged Kelly to give Chan some of her blood so Chan could live because at the time Chan was very ill. Later Chan was bitten by a Kowloon child and controlled by Johan Tsang. In the end, Chan was killed by Kelly in order to stop her from being under Johan's control, as Chan was stopping Jiro from saving Kotaro, and she died in Kelly's arms.
- Johan Tsang Voiced by: Kyousei Tsukui (Japanese), Kent Williams (English)
- A Kowloon child that hid his identity while staying with Kelly Wong's group. He later took control of most of the group members by sucking their blood and making them obey his command. He is killed by Jiro Mochizuki before he had a chance to enter the Special Zone.
[edit] Source Blood
- Alice Eve (アリス・イヴ Arisu Ivu?) Voiced by: Leah Clark
- An old blood vampire, whose bloodline was of the highest rank. She was considered the Mother of Darkness and the founder of her bloodline. During the 19th century, she fell in love with Jiro and turned him into a vampire when he was on the verge of death. She was killed during the Kowloon Shock by the hands of her best friend, Cassandra.
- Adam Wong (アダム・王 Adamu Won?)
- Better known as the King of Kowloon, and known as "father" to the Kowloon Children, Adam is the Source Blood of the youngest bloodline of black bloods, the Kowloon Children. He is responsible for the Kowloon Shock and the Hong Kong Crusade. During the crusade he was defeated by Jiro Mochizuki, but presumably immortal, his ashes are sealed in Eleventh Yard and are highly sought after by his children.
[edit] Glossary
Old Blood : Refers to vampires who have lived at least 100 years or more. Their abilities are far greater than any regular vampire.
Black Blood : Refers to vampires. Vampires of the series have a variety of strengths and weaknesses varying from vampire to vampire. Common strengths include agelessness, extreme strength, turning humans into vampires, and surviving wounds that would kill a human. Jiro is the only vampire shown to be harmed by sunlight and water (especially saltwater), but the Order Coffin Company has a holding cell with crosses and garlic, which are common vampire weaknesses. All vampires, however, are vulnerable to silver, as most are reduced to ash just by receiving a small scratch from it. Only powerful vampires, like Jiro and Cassa, can survive being impaled by silver.
Red Blood : Refers to humans
Special Zone : A city that is protected by a barrier that prevents vampires from entering, unless invited. Humans and weaker vampires are oblivious of the barrier. The leaders of the city are a group of vampires and humans. Both races coexist within the city. The fact that the Zone is a hotspot for vampires is a secret from the rest of the world. The Special Zone was built to be the successor for the city of Hong Kong. Requirements for inviting vampires into the Special Zone:
- Must be a human living in the Zone, who knows that they are inviting a vampire.
- The inviter must also believe that the Zone is the right place for them.
Kowloon Child : A vampire whose lineage was founded by the Nine Dragon Kings. They attack both humans and vampires spreading their bloodline to anyone they attack. They are hated even by other vampires. Unlike most vampires who need to share their blood with the human to make them a vampire, Kowloon Children only need to suck the blood of the victim. Humans and vampires can also be turned just by drinking Kowloon blood. Those victims will in turn attack and suck the blood of others. Those that have their blood sucked by the Kowloon Children will be under the control of the vampire that started the chain of vampires. Also, while most vampires kept near human appearances, almost all Kowloon Children changed radically; their skin paled, nails grew, ears became pointed, eyes became black and yellow, and were reduced to more feral beings.
Order Coffin Company : An organization which is supposed to mediate between vampires and humans. The president of the company was the one that started the Special Zone.
Suppression Team : A team, within the organization, which prevents vampires, by force, from illegally entering the Special Zone. They also annihilate vampires who cause disturbances within the Special Zone.
Compromiser : An agent, within the organization, who settles disputes between vampires and humans without violence. They get in trouble often so they're sometimes accompanied by a guard called the Door Closer.
Hide Hand : An ability that grants vampires the power to manipulate objects (eg: moving objects, levitating, breaking people's bones, etc.). It can also create an invisible barrier that can stop bullets. Only vampires with certain bloodlines have this ability. Most Kowloon Children (if they are direct descendants) are known to have this ability.
Eye Raid : An ability that grants a vampire to control a person's mind through eye contact. They can search through their memories, induce hypnosis, and control their actions. This ability can work on multiple targets at once.
Eye Ignite: A form of vampiric pyrokinesis. Zelman Clock appears to be the only one who can use this power.
[edit] Anime
[edit] Episode list
Black Blood Brothers has a total of 12 episodes, with the first episode airing on September 8, 2006, and the last on November 24, 2006.
| # | Title | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Black Blood Brothers" "Kuroki chi no kyōdai" (黒き血の兄弟) |
September 08, 2006 | |
| Ten years after the Kowloon Shock, Jiro Mochizuki and his little brother, Kotaro, return to Japan so they can go to the Special Zone. | |||
| 02 | "Compromiser" "Conpuromaizā" (調停員(コンプロマイザー)) |
September 15, 2006 | |
| As the siblings travel to the Special Zone, they come across two groups: one that wants them to join them, and one that wants to destroy them. | |||
| 03 | "Kowloon Child" "Kūron chairudo" (九龍の血統(クーロンチャイルド)) |
September 22, 2006 | |
| A spy within Kelly Wong's group surfaces, causing problems for everyone. | |||
| 04 | "Old Blood" "Ōrudo buraddo" (古血(オールド・ブラッド)) |
September 29, 2006 | |
| Jiro engages in a battle to save his little brother. | |||
| 05 | "Special Zone" "Tokku" (経済特別解放区(トック)) |
October 06, 2006 | |
| After being invited into the Special Zone, Jiro realizes that he won't be getting some peace and quiet so easily. | |||
| 06 | "Coven" "Coven" (夜会(カヴン)) |
October 13, 2006 | |
| Jiro encounters a foe who might have ties with enemies from his past. | |||
| 07 | "Silver Blade" "Gintō" (銀刀) |
October 20, 2006 | |
| Jiro settles a score with an enemy who endangered Mimiko's life. | |||
| 08 | "Guardian" "Goeimono" (護衛者) |
October 27, 2006 | |
| Enemies from the past start to take action. | |||
| 09 | "Eleventh Yard" "Irebun yādo" (第十一地区（イレブン・ヤード）) |
November 3, 2006 | |
| Mimiko and Kelly try to look for Jiro, but Mimiko soon realizes that there may be an enemy closer to her than she thinks. | |||
| 10 | "Order Coffin Company" "Ōdā Fofin Kanpanī" (オーダー・コフィン・カンパニー) |
November 10, 2006 | |
| Mimiko faces off against one of Jiro's past enemies and an unlikely ally comes to her rescue. | |||
| 11 | "The Sea" "Umi" (海) |
November 17, 2006 | |
| As the Special Zone plunges into disaster, its protectors start to show their true powers. | |||
| 12 | "For The Eternity of Our Bloodline, I Devote Everything of This Blood" "Waga kettō no eien naru kodō ga tame kono chi no subete o sasage n koto o" (我が血統の永遠なる鼓動がためこの血の総てを捧げんことを) |
November 24, 2006 | |
| As each battle comes to a close, Jiro learns the secret of the Eleventh Yard. | |||
[edit] Theme songs
- Opening Theme
- "Ashita no Kioku" (明日の記憶?) by Naozumi Takahashi
At the very last ending run, the last few frames depict Kotaro appearing and running to Jiro, unlike the previous runs where there was no one but Jiro at the end.
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) BBB official site
- Official Funimation Site
- Black Blood Brothers (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
